Finding Courage
by Nonny The Anon One
Summary: Danny finally finds the courage to come to terms with his feelings and ask Sam out.  Part 1 of a series. DxS


**I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**This is part of a series of fics written as a Christmas Present for Chaos Dragon, who requested Fluff/Angsty DxS fics.**

Finding Courage

Danny yelled in frustration as he fell head first into the dumpster behind the Nasty Burger, hitting the bottom of the luckily empty container with a loud thunk. He sighed as he lay there in the bottom of the smelly dumpster, not sure if he was happy it was empty or not.

"Danny?" he heard Sam call and he sighed. He'd just got the crap kicked out of him by some silly nothing ghost and he didn't feel like resuming the fight, let the stupid thing go. He was tired. Was he losing his touch? If some minor little ghost could best him, what would happen if Skulker or someone worse showed up?

Sam pulled herself up high enough so she was half hanging in the dumpster and looked down at Danny, still in ghost form, sitting at the bottom, looking rather glum and defeated. She smiled at him sadly then shook her head.

"I got it!" Tucker called as he stopped and looked at Sam. All he could really see were her legs. Her purple legs and her combat boots dangling in the air. He blushed slightly as he unintentionally looked up her skirt and silently thanked her for always wearing those modesty protecting weird, purple leggings.

"I can see up your skirt Sam," Tucker called as he leaned against the dumpster. "Why are you digging in the trash anyway?"

Danny watched Sam's eyes go wide and he smiled as she blushed, he loved it when she blushed, she looked so pretty when her pale cheeks went pink. His feeling of defeat and exhaustion fled as he stood, phasing his head through the dumpster.

"What are you doing looking up Sam's skirt?" he asked as his head appeared near Tucker. Tucker jumped and looked at Danny guiltily as Sam landed on the ground. She straightened her skirt and gave Tucker a look of annoyance.

"It's not like I saw anything," Tucker said nervously as he shrunk under the intensity of a pair of glowing green eyes and a pair of angry amethyst. "And it's not like I haven't seen all there is to see of Sam anyway." Both Danny and Sam's mouths dropped open and Tucker froze.

"I didn't mean it that way," Tucker said quickly as he put up his hands. "I mean I haven't seen her naked since we took baths together when we were little kids, but she's like a sister to me. I wasn't like looking. I mean I wouldn't enjoy looking at what I was looking at if I had seen anything, which I didn't." He paused and looked at Sam who was now standing with her arms across her face wearing a stern expression.

"I mean you are kinda hot," Tucker continued emphasizing the word kinda and Sam's mouth opened in outrage. He started thinking frantically for a way to dig himself out of the hole he was plowing for himself. "I mean you are a girl and you're hot and stuff. I mean. Danny thinks your hot. He told me so."

Sam's eyes turned to Danny who froze like deer in headlights. "What?" he asked Tucker as he fought for composure. "What does the fact that you're a pervert have to do with what I think about Sam? What were you doing looking up her skirt in the first place?"

Tucker growled in exasperation. "I wasn't looking up her skirt!" he hissed. "She was half in the dumpster! Her skirt was almost not there! I was just being gentlemanly and letting her know her business was hanging out for the whole world to see. Excuse me for being chivalrous! It's not like I go and watch her take showers or anything"

Danny looked at Tucker angrily. "Are you implying that I do?"

"No!" Tucker said quickly as he shook his head. "I was just saying." Sam sighed heavily then looked at Tucker and then at Danny. She didn't know what to say to either of them.

"You said you got the ghost?" Danny asked Tucker tiredly the feeling of exhaustion returning.

"Yup," Tucker said as he brandished the thermos. "Right after it chucked you in the trash, I caught it!" He smiled happily to himself then frowned at Danny who was beginning to look weary. He looked at Sam who had walked to the end of the alley and was now standing with her back to them with her hands on her hips.

"You okay?" Tucker asked as he watched Danny transform back to human. He shrugged his shoulders and the looked toward Sam and sighed. Tucker followed the line of his friend's vision then adjusted his glasses.

"Maybe you should tell her," Tucker suggested.

"Tell who what?" Danny asked as he sniffed his clothes then looked at the dumpster.

"Sam," Tucker answered. "How you feel. Maybe you should tell Sam how you feel." Danny gave him a strange look.

"Do I smell like rotten mayo to you?" he asked. Tucker sniffed at Danny then shook his head. "No. You smell like nasty sauce." Danny nodded his head then walked toward Sam.

"Try not to be such a jerk," Danny said to Tucker just before they reached her.

"I wasn't being a jerk," Tucker replied angrily. "I was just….teasing." Sam turned and looked at Danny questioningly and he shook his head.

"You know," Tucker started, his generally good natured demeanor fleeing next to the angst of his two friends. "You two are both in such foul moods today. I think you both need to just tell each other how you feel and get it over with. I'm sick of being in the middle of everything between the two of you."

"Shut up!" Sam growled at Tucker, her eyes flashing angrily. Tucker returned her annoyed glare, adjusted his hat, patted his pocket to make sure his PDA was inside, then tossed the thermos to Danny, turned on his heel and walked away.

"What's with him?" Sam asked as she watched Tucker retreat. He didn't even look over his shoulder at them.

"Maybe he's tired," Danny replied flatly.

Sam looked at Danny and sighed. "Maybe." She checked her watch and sighed one more time. She was going to be late for her date.

"I have to go," she told Danny, not daring to look at him. "I'm supposed to meet…I am supposed to meet a friend in ten minutes and I smell like a Nasty Burger."

A shaft of pain speared through Danny's heart and he took Sam's arm and turned her intangible so that when she was tangible again, she was squeaky clean.

Sam smiled at Danny sadly she contemplated hugging him for a moment then stepped away instead. "Call you later?" she asked.

"If you have time," Danny answered bitterly. "I wouldn't want to interfere with your busy social schedule."

"Oh please," Sam said as she rolled her eyes. "You know you and Tucker take top priority in my life. Have I been neglecting either of you?"

"No," Danny answered shortly as he closed his eyes. "You've just been giving your time to someone else." Time he wanted.

"Well excuse me for having a life outside of you Danny!" Sam growled. Danny opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. He didn't want to fight with Sam.

"Can't you ditch him?" he finally asked his blue eyes turned on her pleading for her to say yes, and she really wanted to. "Just for tonight Sam?"

"It's too late," Sam said as she bit her lip and warred with herself. "It would be rude to cancel now." Danny watched her for a moment, contemplated begging her.

"Well can't you cut it short and then come hang with me? We haven't hung together on a Friday in weeks, not since you started dating every boy in Casper High.

Sam gave him an annoyed look. "I'd hardly say that two guys are all of Casper High," Sam told him angrily.

"Okay fine," Danny said in exasperation. "But can you come hang with me later?" Sam looked into his hopeful baby blues and couldn't resist.

"Yes," she said. "I'll tell him I have a headache or something." She sighed. "I hate lying…"

"Thanks Sam," Danny said happily. "I'll be waiting!" He took off before she could change her mind, slipping around the corner, looking around for witnesses before transforming back into ghost and following her, like he always did, on her dates. He told himself it was just to make sure the guy she was with didn't try anything he wouldn't approve of.

Danny knew that if Sam found out he was tagging along on her dates, that she'd turn him full ghost, it was a common threat. He'd tried to stay away, he really did, but that first night he couldn't help it. He sat at his house, with Tucker and thought he was going to go insane until finally he gave in and he snuck out.

So far, Sam hadn't allowed either of the two boys she'd been out on dates with kiss her, but she'd been out with one three times now. His name was William, he was in one of her advanced classes, he was a nerd, smart and weird, he was kinda tall and skinny with dark hair and dark eyes. Danny didn't get what Sam saw in the guy.

He found them at the movies, holding hands. He wanted to wretch. Sam didn't just hold hands with people. She had a strict policy about her space not being invaded, but there she was, holding that boy's hand. The boy put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder and Danny felt like curling up and dying.

Okay, he had to admit to himself it was jealous, very jealous, eaten up by jealousy. He wanted to be the one holding her hand at the movies. He wanted to be the one putting his arm around her and smiles on her face and maybe giving her kisses good night, but he knew that if he ever even dared ask her out that she would be upset. There was no crossing the boundaries of friendship. They were best friends and they were going to stay that way. The sad thing, was that he was crazy in love with his best friend, Sam.

Danny smiled when the movie was over and Sam's date suggested hanging out at the Nasty Burger and Sam shook her head.

"Sorry," she said. "I can't tonight. Maybe next time." Her date didn't ask for an explanation, just looked disappointed and told her he had a good time. Danny was immensely relieved that the boy did nothing more than hug Sam good bye, even though that alone made Danny want to tear him to pieces more than he already did.

Sam was almost half way to his house before Danny decided it was safe enough to leave her. He had to get home and look like he'd been there the entire evening. He couldn't afford for Sam to figure out he'd been following her on her dates, she'd kill him.

Sam had an odd smile on her face when she showed up in his room fifteen minutes later. Danny had been getting ready to go look for her when he heard the doorbell rang.

"Have fun on your date?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Sam broke into a dazzling smile and Danny's heart did a triple flip. "Yeah," she said then sighed. She sat down in her usual spot and Danny watched her for a minute.

"He kissed me," Sam said dreamily and Danny felt his insides twist painfully. "I was on my way here and we'd just said good bye, and he came running back and…he kissed me." She closed her eyes and Danny's heart sank.

"That's cool," Danny said trying to sound unaffected as a sick, weak feeling assailed him. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He listened to Sam go on for a little bit about William and how nice he was, all his interests and what Sam thought made him so cool. He tried to be patient and listen nicely but finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"Well if you like him so much, why are you here? Why didn't you just stay with him?" he asked acidly.

Sam blinked. "Because you asked me to come over and hang out with you."

"Fine," Danny said curtly. "But I don't want to hear all the juicy details about your boyfriend and what a wonderful kisser he is. If you want someone to talk to about that stuff you'll find Jazz down the hall."

Sam gave him a look disbelief. "What's your problem? Why are you in such a bad mood?"

Danny flopped back and laid on his bed, covering his face with his arms and sighing his insides were burning with the agony of jealousy. "I've just had a bad couple of days." If he had been truthful he would have said he'd had a bad month and a half, that's how long Sam had been dating.

"Tucker's been kinda grumpy lately too," Sam remarked. She paused and watched Danny for a minute.

"Maybe," Sam started then took a deep breath and forged forward. She promised herself that she would let go of her feelings for Danny, letting only the feelings of friendship remain. She did a pretty good job of it, as long as they weren't together. Unfortunately, the moment Danny walked into the room or she even heard his voice, her heart lit up. She hated herself for not being able to get over him.

"Maybe what?" Danny asked as he took his arm off his face and looked at her. She was going to tell him that maybe he and Tucker needed girlfriends, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Maybe you just need a vacation," Sam answered as she looked down at her hands. She closed her eyes a minute then looked up to find Danny sitting up, watching her, she turned her attention to her fingers, and began picking at the black fingernail polish she'd put on the night before.

"Sounds good," Danny said as he watched the fall of Sam's air as she looked down at her hands and picked at her fingers. What he needed was to hold her, it might not make everything better, but it would go a long way toward quieting the raging pain in his heart.

"We should go get Tuck," Sam said as she looked up then paused at the intense look in Danny's eyes. She didn't want to go get Tucker. She wanted him all to herself. "Find something fun to do."

Danny nodded his head. "Or we could just go by ourselves," Danny said quickly before he lost courage. "We could go for a walk in he park or go sit at the beach or something...like that."

Sam bit her lip uncertainly. Walking in the park and sitting on the beach were too romantic, but then she couldn't resist the possibility to pretend. "Sounds good," she said. Danny smiled as he stood and changed into his ghostly self. He wasn't going to give her the opportunity to change her mind, or to realize he'd actually asked her out, on a date…of sorts.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Do you remember," Sam started as she lay in the grass beside Danny, looking up at the clear star filled sky. "Paulina's fifteenth birthday?"

Danny who was laying on his side looking at Sam instead of the stars, shook his head and she looked at him questioningly. She smiled when she found his eyes on her instead of the sky then reached up and tweaked a lock of hair hanging in his face.

"You should remember," Sam continued. "Meteor shower. Desiree…"

"You wishing you had never met me," Danny said then lay back in the grass and sighed. "Yeah I remember." He wondered lately if maybe she still wished they'd never met.

Sam rolled over on to her stomach, and smiled as she put her chin on her hands. "That's what sitting here reminds me of," she said.

"Of wanting to forget me?" Danny asked worriedly.

Sam laughed and shook her head. "No, of sitting on the grass watching her party from the hill, and you and Tuck were with me, and I was happy."

"You're not happy now?" Danny questioned wistfully wondering if she wished she was somewhere else with someone else.

Sam took a deep breath. "Everything's changing, Danny. We graduate this year. We're going to all go our separate ways. Live separate lives, forget each other."

"No," Danny said as he lay back down and closed his eyes. "That won't happen, Sam. We won't let it." His stomach began to feel sick. What if they did forget each other? Sam was already distancing herself. Maybe she was hinting that she wanted to end contact with him, was it the ghost thing? Was she sick of fighting ghosts?"

"Promise?" Sam asked quickly. "Promise that won't happen. I don't want to lose you."

Danny sighed shakily in relief. "I promise, Sam. The only way for you to lose me, is to tell me you don't lo..like me anymore and…well you know."

Sam shook her head as she rolled back over on to her back and laid her head on Danny's shoulder. "That would never happen," she told him as his arm went around her, curling around her shoulder and squeezing her tight.

"Promise?" Danny asked.

"I promise," Sam answered.

They laid there in the grass for awhile. Danny held her tight as she lay with her head on his chest listening to his heart. Their positions were bittersweet for both of them, but as Sam was at least content, Danny wasn't. He decided holding her wasn't enough.

"Sam?" Danny asked and she lifted her head and looked at him. She was so close, all he had to do was lift his head, put his hand in her hair and he could kiss her, and then she'd kill him. "We should probably go."

Sam nodded as a look of disappointment filled her eyes. She couldn't help it as her gaze slid from his eyes to his mouth and her breath caught. She could kiss him. It would be so easy. She kissed his cheek on occasion. She could say she slipped.

Danny's breath caught as Sam's head dipped down, he knew she was going to kiss him. He held his breath as he waited, trying to keep himself from shaking as her lips grazed, his chin. He opened eyes he didn't even realized he closed to see Sam moving away from him. This was torture.

Sam was disappointed in herself. She'd tried to do it, she tried but in those final seconds before she brushed her lips against his, she chickened out. She commended herself for at least trying, then looked at Danny and found him looking stricken and wondered if he looked this upset from her kissing his chin, how upset would he have been if she'd kissed him on the lips.

"I need to get home," she said as she stood and brushed the grass off her clothes.

"Want me to fly you?" Danny asked, thinking at least he'd get to hold her a little longer.

Sam shook her head. If he flew her, she'd be held in his arms and she decided she could only endure so much pain, she'd had enough tonight. "I'd rather walk," she told him. "Enjoy the night air."

"Okay," Danny said as he followed her out of the park. They talked and laughed and made plans for hijacking Tucker the next afternoon and hanging out.

"That is if he still isn't in a bad mood," Sam laughed.

"He needs a girlfriend," Danny said in an offhand tone then paused and looked at Sam who nodded her head and sighed. Danny watched her for a moment and decided he needed to do something or make a move before it was too late.

A thousand different lines ran through Danny's mind, but they all sounded cheesy and contrived. He watched Sam a moment as they walked then said, "I thought you said we needed a vacation."

Sam smiled at him sadly and shrugged her shoulders. "A vacation, a girlfriend…something."

"What I need is…" Danny started then paused as Sam turned her purple gaze on him and his breath caught. He pushed himself to just say it. It was one word, why couldn't he say it. He faced scarier things than telling Sam he loved her everyday. Skulker, Technus, Vlad, they were all frightening, but nothing was scarier than Sam's rejection.

"Is?" Sam asked.

"A good nights sleep," Danny answered as he mentally kicked himself for his cowardice.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I'm tired too." They said little more as Danny walked Sam to her door.

She stopped as she put her hand on the knob. "Want me to call you in the afternoon?"

"Call as soon as you wake up," Danny told her. He loved hearing her voice still raspy with sleep. She hesitated a moment then turned and hugged him tight.

"I love you," she told him, then slid out of his arms and disappeared inside her house.

"I love you too," Danny sighed then turned and started walking home. He was several steps away from Sam's house when he heard a thunk and whispered cursing.

"Tuck?" Danny said as he turned and looked at the rattling garbage cans.

"Don't say a word," Tucker said as he climbed out of a garbage can and Danny chuckled.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked.

Tucker gave him a bland look. "Dude," he began, side stepping Danny's question. "You totally blew that one."

"What one?" Danny asked in confusion as he watched Tucker adjust his hat.

"She said she loves you!" Tucker half screeched. "You did nothing."

"She didn't mean it that way," Danny defended.

Tucker rolled his eyes then picked a banana peel out of his pocket and shuddered. "She almost kissed you at the park. Geeze Danny, you let so many opportunities pass you by."

Danny gave Tucker an incredulous look. "You were spying on us?"

Tucker smiled. "You two are oblivious to the whole world when you're together. I don't know why you just don't admit to yourselves that you guys need to be together."

"Tucker," Danny growled. "Let it go."

"Fine," Tucker said. "But the two of you are driving me insane. I've been watching you both flirt back and forth with each other for the past few years. I'm sick of it."

Danny said nothing as they walked. They reached their separate ways and said good night. Danny continued home on his own for awhile before digging his cell phone out of his pocket and calling Sam.

"Danny?" she asked as she answered. "Is there a ghost."

"No," Danny answered as he closed his eyes. "I was just um…wondering…are you free next Friday?"

Sam paused for a long time and Danny squeezed his eyes shut. "Yeah," she said. "Why?"

"Cause I was wondering if maybe you would…um…like to go out…with me. On a date." Oh god she was going to laugh now, he was going to be humiliated and how was he going to look her in the eye ever again.

"A date?" Sam asked in bewilderment. "You're asking me on a date? Are you all right?"

"Just tell me," Danny said then swallowed hard. "Is it a yes or no."

"Well duh," Sam laughed. "Yes. Yes I'd love to go on a date with you, but next Friday? Why not tomorrow night?"

"Okay," Danny said the warm tone of her voice making him feel a little bit better. "Would you like to go out with me tomorrow?"

"Yes," Sam said happily. "We'll talk about it tomorrow afternoon okay?"

"Okay," Danny agreed then told Sam good bye and floated home, not allowing him to think on anything but the fact that Sam truly sounded happy, he'd think of the rest of the complications, tomorrow.


End file.
